West Hartford Man Recovering After Fire

The scene of a fire on Brainard Road in West Hartford. (JOHN CHARLTON, FOX CT )

April 21, 2014|By DAVID OWENS, dowens@courant.com, The Hartford Courant

WEST HARTFORD — A 74-year-old man pulled from his burning Brainard Road home April 17 is recovering, fire officials said.

Eugene Filshtein was rescued from his Brainard Road home by West Hartford firefighters who responded after a police officer found smoke pouring from the house.

The fire's cause was not determined, Assistant Fire Chief Richard Winn said. It appears to have started in the basement and did not involve the heating system, he said. A state police dog checked for accelerants and detected none, Winn said. The fire is considered accidental, he said.

The fire burned for an extended period until it was discovered, Winn said. A West Hartford police officer working nearby on Route 44 reported smelling smoke for an extended period of time and went looking for its source. He found it at 15 Brainard about noon and the Connecticut Light & Power Co. crew he was working with immediately disconnected power to the house, Winn said.

Firefighters from station 4 in Bishops Corner were on the scene first and began checking for the source of the fire. They found Filshtein near the back door.

The fire had burned through the basement ceiling into the first floor, Winn said.